Past learning – Page 7 – A Penny for My Pensieve

Life at 20 vs 30

Posted on 15 May 201526 Sep 2015 by arlanadya

On sleeping :
20s
– Wake up when adzan heard from the mosque everyday.
– sleep in almost every spare time, on bed, on the sofa, on the floor while watching TV, in the bus all the way to Bogor, right after arrived at grandma’s home. Everywhere. Seemed like I was living for sleep.

30
– Wake up so early in the morning or whenever Langit cries or even before fall asleep at all or wake up all day. Almost all day.
– Sleep when every work or house works have been done and only on the sofa. Bed is only for night sleeping. No bed during the day.

On money
20
– Buy everything anytime I need without having so much thought. Surely there was budget too, but a very flexible one.
– Saving was 70% from salary. I had already had monthly salary since I was 19 right after started teaching at Yamaha.
– Had several bank accounts for different purpose: daily and monthly needs, Hajj and Europe, and pure saving only.

30
– First three months : jobless as well as totally incomeless. Live by eating the savings.
– Thinking not only twice or thrice to buy something, even for small thing?throughout the weeks or months. The result maybe bought or not at all:))
– Pretty tight budgeting. Langit’s vaccine always come first. Weekend budget is very much depends on Langit’s vaccine price or other compulsory needs. Then the second is le husband’s school. Me? I don’t remember when was the last time I spend money loosely for something that only for me.
– Keep maintaining several bank accounts for different purposes, mine and le husband’s

On work

20
– Earlier years was enjoying studying while being a part time lecturer, and a piano teacher at the same time till graduated.
– After that, enjoyed working 7 days a week at three different places. Though it was tiring sometimes, but I remembered how I enjoyed teaching at school, teaching piano at music school, and private teaching a belgian expat on Sunday.
– Time, distance, salary, never be a consideration. As long as it was good, I went for it.

And, I was and never will be into career. So what I had and have been doing is working.

– First thing first : location. Only accept one which maximum 10km distance from home and easily reached by car or public transportation.
– Second : time. Part time only. 8-11. Or 12. No longer than that.

After Langit came, no matter where, every places seemed so far. Even that 5-minutes-walking-distance music school. That is why I dropped one at school. Pretty sad but that is really fine. Glad that I decided to drop it.

On dream

20
– Big three dreams during 20s were : Hajj, Master degree abroad, Eurotrip solo travelling, all before marriage.
– Achieved the first at 28, the second at 27, while the third failed. Maybe God saves it for later. Amin.

30
– I am almost done with my self except for Europe. But, I won’t mind going with this little family especially with Langit. Maybe it will be so much happier if I have ones to share the happiness of being in the places that I have been dreaming for such a long time. Paris, Barcelona, and any cities in Italy.

20s was surely more carefree, no bill, spent only, low responsibility, and the world seemed to be so kind (at least for me). Then, eventhough I am just only being in my early 30, but the things are pretty much more harder, with so many responsibilities, concerns, consideration, and it will be hard to bear a consequence of having even for a small mistake.

So, kids, if you read this someday, use your 20s well. Work hard, dream high, make it happen, travel far, be tough and you will be very ready to embrace your 30s.

Hopefully, I and your father have enough time to see all those great things happen to you. We surely will work hard to help you with that. When it’s time to stand on your own feet, I hope you will stand firmly. Amin.

20’s

Posted on 1 Aug 201429 May 2023 by arlanadya

Found the quote above somewhere between twitter or instagram and could not agree more.
Since my 20’s are soon to be over insya Allah, few days ago I wrote down in my notes the highlights in each year during my 20’s.
Let’s take a look :
21
First job at campus as a lecturer assistant.
22
Surviving KKN at Blanakan,Subang. I called it surviving since I safely returned healthier than the arrival. Gained few kilos.
23
Graduated from Faculty of Agriculture majoring Agribussiness with Honor.
24
– A dream job came true teaching at an islamic school.
– Having the passport stamped. Kuala Lumpur and Singapore checked.
– Dealing with the worst broken heart.
– Hajj portion number completed.
25
– Chosen as one of the most favorite teacher,highest score in english test, a very good times at school.
– Dealing with some personal problems. Some proposal were offered and politely rejected.
26
– Started pursuing for master degree abroad. Fighting so much for europe for some time.
– Went Umra for the second time. This time, another stamp on the passport added. Istanbul, Turkey.
– Resigned from school
– Started over with a life-time sweet,sour,bitter problem♥
27
– Another dream came true : pursuing master degree abroad. It was UPM,Malaysia.
– Learning so much in every way of one life. Realized so many things about life. Might be the best time and place where my personal growth occured. Well, and to be fair, the worst time and place to the body till it suffered the lowest weight I have ever had.
– A wedding preparation and engagement while having LDR between so many places, you named it: Jkt-Timika, KL-Sorong,KL-Jakarta,Jkt-Vietnam,KL-Samarinda,Jkt-Mecca.
28
The most memorable year of my 20’s:
– Graduated with honor from UPM
– Another dream came true once more : went hajj with mum. The greatest,toughest,and saddest journey.
– Well, this one was hard to imagine when it finally really came true : Married to a life-time best friend.
The one who had been here for 10 years,proposed since 9 years before,and kept trying to make it happen no matter what it took to be together.

Beyond grateful. Three great blessings one could have within a year. Master Degree abroad, Hajj, and A dream marriage.

However ..
The losses were equals, then :
– beloved grandma and uncle were taken just within two weeks interval.
– and, this one was and will always be the greatest loss of my life ; My dearest mum went two weeks after Hajj and just two weeks before the wedding. Half of my heart were already gone with her since that day.

Three enormous losses one can endure within a year.

29
After 28, life has been changed pretty much. It has not been easy (at all) but I can say it is not bad at all.
Had our 1st anniversary and is heading for the second while I am writing this, a little present inside the womb kicks softly:)

I can’t say much about the future. But, I will try to be bolder, braver to embrace whatever happen next.

Then, Hello,30:)

Past learning, Places, Travel

Miles away from home, chapter 1: Manchester

Posted on 29 Mar 201225 Jun 2024 by arlanadya

I have been reading so many blogs today, whether those wedding blogs or travel blogs. Travel blogs have been one of my addictions. I don’t know why the idea of going abroad always amuse me.

My family is not an extremely rich one, we had vacation sometimes, but hardly going too far. Puncak was our most frequent visit, since there was my dad’s office villa there. So, going abroad by plane was seemed so far.

My first experience of flying in an aeroplane was back in 1994. I remember the exact date, it was June, 5th, 1994. What was so exciting, is not domestic flight, but an international flight.

I flew with Emirates. One of the newest middle-east airline which now is one of the finest and favorites one.

Where to go?Singapore?Malaysia?Australia?No.

We went to England!:D

It felt so awesome for this 10-years-old little girl. We, I, my mother, my sister, and my brother, were going to visit my father who pursued his master degree in one of the best university in the world, University of Manchester.

We visited him during summer, for 2 months (What a great vacation!). I remembered we took night flight, with Jakarta-Singapore-Colombo-Dubai-Manchester route. It was 18 hours flight, with 5 hours transit in Dubai. The flight was great. The foods were all delicious. All the steward and stewardess were very nice. They kept giving us toys, bags, koala dolls, i loved it all. I still keep the bag from my first flight:)

I still remember clearly that we arrived at the airport and my dad had waited for us,then we went to the apartment by that black taxi cab, as in the movie. I couldn’t help smiling along the road from the airport until we arrived in the apartment. It felt as if your heart is going to explode because the excitement.

In our apartment, my dad had prepared gifts for each of us, yes, each of us, including my mother. He prepared me and my sister with a backpack and small bag. It was red backpack and a very cute small bag, which i still keep it until now.

I enjoying my 2 months there a lot. A lot. We stay in an apartment in granby row room 504 (I really have good memory on this). So, what were we doing during those days?

Let me names several.

We were …

going around the city

eating ice cream in many parks

waiting for bus number 81 to Piccadilly Center

going to precinct Centre by walk and counting steps along the pavement (I loved those pavement) to buy postcards.Oh, I sent the postcards to my best friends, (Almh.) Arum and I didn’t remember who another one, and i got the reply when i was still there!It was so cool receiving a letter with your name in the envelope as if we stayed permanently there,hehe.

Picture taken from University of Manchester

going to University of Manchester and the Museum of Manchester, buying some very nice stickers, shopping in debenhams, my sister and I were very keen of Polly Pocket, we’d been visiting toys r’ us almost every time we went there, and finally buy some of it. (I don’t remember how exactly we paid for it,hehe)

doing groceries shopping in either Tesco or Indian Shop. I remembered how i disliked going to that Indian shop because it was so smelly, so i just waited outside, but going there is compulsory, since my dad had bought us the backpack so it can be filled with those groceries stuff:))

In other way, I loved going to Tesco. It’s quite far from the city, but i enjoyed the trip there. We passed those houses with the maroon brickswall and the chimneys, as Enid Blyton books told me. so, no complaining. Beside, Tesco is smells nice, and we had ice cream there:D

Oh, i remembered one thing that we (me and my siblings) always loved doing daily. We went to the park nearby the apartment. It has big bottle statue and we loved climbing it and playing there, and run-racing with the train passed-by in the railway bridge. We just pretended as if we were chasing the train,hehe. What a silly kids.

I found the picture of the park!!Our apartment just two blocks away

During our 2 month there, we also visited other cities. We went to London, by train!So, before King Cross station is famous because of platform 9 3/4 in Harry Potter, I have been there,in Manchester-London trip. We stayed for 3 days in London. We visited Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Trafalgar Square, etc.

We saw the guard-changing ceremony in Buckingham Palace also, it was so interesting. I keep wondering what Queen Elizabeth doing inside,hehe. I remembered we couldn’t visit tower of London and Madame Tussaud because it was summer holiday, so the queue was so long. Oh!We were riding on the red double-decker also:D

We also went to several cities like Blackburn (here i bought those blue Clark shoes with only 2 pounds, or Rp 7000,- ,at that time currency)! From then, I love Clark shoes, but it’s quite pricey now:(

Sheffield, Bath, Harrogate, and Buxton were another cities we visited. I didn’t remember clearly, but i remembered of having a-lake-side-picnic with the view of mountain and stone house like one in Little House on The Prairie book:)

Actually, we had also our Benelux visa to visit Netherland, Belgium, and Luxembourg, but, unfortunately, i had chicken pox there, so we cancelled the trip:(

There was also my starting point of learning English. From then, i love English subject and so eager learn by my self, from either books or movie.

Wow, what a long post. I think it is the first time i do really writing something here. It’s always heart-warming, memory traveling to the past:)

Manchester was my first love, which leads me to more places, more journeys, and always keep longing to going back there later, someday, Insya Allah. Amin.

so, I’ll see you later;)